An image of No-Face in Spirited Away. No-Face is a ghost-like Kami, and at first glance you presume he is evil, but there is no real good or evil in Shintoism and you find out fairly quickly that he's not and just needs the bathhouse in order to cleanse his attitude. In Japanese Mythology he is derived from a legendary creature called "Nopperabo" - a faceless spirit.

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An ubiquitous character in Japanese Folklore, religion and popular culture, the Oni may be variously translated into English as "demon," "devil," or "ogre." Oni features in numerous folktales and legends. The oni are commonly imagined as large, powerful, frightening, human like male figures, clawed hands and sharp, protruding fangs. They have horns, carry an iron staff or club and wear a loincloth made out of tiger skin.

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Screen capture of film Pom Poko. The image showcases Gashadokuro meaning "starving skeleton" are mythical creatures in Japanese Mythology. These skeletal giants roam around the darkest hours after midnight, they silently creep up and catch their victims late out on the roads, crushing their victims with its hands or bitting their heads off.

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An image of a Kirin. In Japanese Mythology, Kirin is a powerful and majestic beast that wields immense strength and punishes those that are evil. However the creature still remains a mystery. The legends say that it has antlers like a deer, scales like a dragon, hooves like an ox, and a tail like a lion. It is also believed that when a Kirin travels from place to place, it can spread peace wherever it travels.

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Nopperabo are faceless spirits. They resemble a human in almost all ways and blends with society quite well. However the illusion is shattered when met face-to-face. They have a voracious appetite who basically tries to devour people as a source of gaining energy. However some legends believe that the Nopperabo are actually harmless and known primarily for frightening humans which they do remarkably well because they have no facial features, but otherwise they are completely harmless.

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Scene in Onibaba. The film explores the story of a Japanese yokai "Oni" (can be translated into ogres, demons and trolls) and are one of the greatest icons of Japanese Folklore because of how popular they are in Japanese theater, art and literature. The mask of the Oni when worn, the demon trapped inside the masks will take over the users well-being.

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Hayao Miyazaki employs a Shinto symbol as the torii in his film Spirited Away (2001). This still screen capture is at the start of the film, where Chihiro(main character) and her parents pass by an old torii depicted in front the tree. This is an indication to show that they have entered a sacred site. It is the delineation between the mundane and a space where the characters will interact with kami (spirits).

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A screen capture in the film Spirited Away. The image depicts a "stink spirit", as in the film, he first appears as a filthy, grubby, sludge contaminated spirit but it is soon later revealed that he is wealthy and a powerful dragon spirit. In Japanese Mythology he is known as Kawa-No-Kami - The Shinto god of the rivers as a result of the purification ritual.

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A screenshot of a scene in the film "The Tale of Princess Kaguya". The film is an animated adaption of a Japanese Folktale called "The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter", a story about a mysterious girl named "Kaguya" discovered inside a bright bamboo plant as a baby.

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In Japanese Mythology, Yamauba is an old woman who lives in the mountains. The word Yamauba means "mountain old woman". She is one of the best-known yokai in Japan. In legends, folk-tales, and local beliefs, she is often portrayed as a hideous witch-like being who kidnaps women from local villagers, eats livestock and small children, and torments anybody who wonders into her territory. However, there are also positive portrayals of Yamauba in which she is a deific and beneficial presence.